Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (E0-10)
by GVJ
Summary: This is the tenth of 13 TV serial teleplays that re-imagines The Phantom Menace as a TV serial. The reader will note some spelling changes to some of the names (notably Quigon has been re-imagined as a more Chinese style name - Quigong and Jedi has been made more phonetic as Jeddai). There are a number of other changes to the setting.


TITLE CARD: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

A vast sea of stars serves as the backdrop for the main title, followed by a roll up, which crawls up into infinity.

 **SERIES 0 THE PHANTOM MENACE**

The struggle for Naboo has begun.

Distracted by the duel between Sith Lords, the Mandalorians have unwittingly carried a commando of Jeddai led by Mace Windu into the heart of their command ship.

All the while an army of Gunguns is massing in the forests outside the Naboo capital of Theed.

As their plans head towards fruition, Princess Amidala leads a ragtag band of Jeddai, Royal Guards, and pilots to a hidden passage at the base of the waterfall that separates Upper Theed from Lower Theed…

 **EPISODE 0.10 – Engagement**

EXT. CLIFFSIDE WATERFALL – PALACE OF THEED – NABOO

A lone Mandalorian guard stands cloaked in the thick morning fog that has rolled in off of the bay. The mist and spray from the waterfall behind him breaks up the worst of the ground hugging cloud causing it to boil away from the surface of the pool the of water the cascade drains into.

ANGLE ON Padmé Amidala as she watches the armored sentry through the gloom. Quigong Jin, Obiwan Kenobi, Jarjar Binks, and Captain Olié are gathered around her.

PADMÉ: (whispering to Quigong) Are we going to get past this one like the others?

QUIGONG: (with a bob of his head) Just so.

Quigong motions to Obiwan who responds with a bob of his head.

Gathering his brown robes around him the Padawan takes a step forward, unfurls one arm, and launches something high into the air.

Moments later there is a loud splash at the edge of the pool where it turns back into the river that bisects the city of Theed. Alarmed by the sound, the raider turns and hurries over to the sound.

Obiwan launches another invisible object high into the air. Behind him the Princess wastes no time and leads their half-dozen strong group of pilots up to the cliff wall. Jarjar is right behind them.

Another loud splash occurs, this one farther down the river, drawing the sentry farther away from his post and the Princess' party. As Obiwan turns to rejoin the group we see that Quigong has paused at the water's edge even as everyone else walks a narrow ledge set into the cliff-face. As the Princess disappears behind the waterfall Quigong waves his hand and instantaneously a thick, roiling carpet of fog descends on them completely obscuring the soldiers and pilots from view.

Quigong becomes little more than a shadowy figure as Obiwan joins him and then the two shadows are gone, consumed by the thick mist.

CUT TO the interior of a rough-hewn stone passage. It is obvious that at some point the group began to climb the cliff-face behind the waterwall because Padmé has paused at the mouth of the corridor to help each person behind her make it up over the bottom lip of the passageway's entrance.

The corridor's interior is poorly lit by what little light shines in through the cascade of water that masks it.

RIC: (whispering) I had no idea this was here.

PADMÉ: (smiling in spite of their situation) It's a secret known only to members of the Royal Family and the Royal Guard's High Command.

Help the others while I get everyone organized.

Ric replaces the Princess as she moves into the dark tunnel to get everyone organized. We can hear her whispering inaudible reassurances to the pilots that she passes. After a couple of minutes first Obiwan and then Quigong appear at the tunnel's entrance.

As raises himself to his feet after scrabbling over the lip of the tunnel entrance the Jeddai Knight pauses, looks around, and frowns.

OBIWAN: (softly) I sense it too. There's a disturbance in the Force. Like nothing I've ever felt before.

QUIGONG: (to Jarjar) Jarjar, you and Obiwan take the lead and protect the Princess. I'll act as the read guard.

PADMÉ: (with a hoarse whisper) Everyone ready?

There are various nods as Jarjar and Obiwan push themselves to the head of the group sandwiching Ric and the six other pilots they saved from the Grenn between themselves and Quigong. As soon as everyone has nodded their readiness in the dim corridor, Padmé begins slowly making her way deeper into the murky passageway.

The small group gropes their way along the stone wall in the semi-darkness for several minutes before they finally see a steadily brightening light reveals that they are on a curving ramp leading deeper into the cliff. After several more minutes the Princess and their party find themselves on a balcony overlooking the small set of piers from which Padmé, Quigong, Obiwan, and Jarjar had left for Otah Gunga. Below them a group of almost three dozen Royal Guards stands at the ready.

JANSEN: (calling up to the balcony) Your Royal Majesty, it is good to see you.

Every last soldier in the remnants of Jansen's platoon echo their leader's remark.

PADMÉ: (softly) Lieutenant, have you been waiting long?

JANSEN: Less than an hour. There's been some kind of a disturbance up in the palace. The raiders have pulled from their patrols to reinforce their position there. It made it easy for us to slip through their lines but…

PADMÉ: I see. Give us a couple of minutes to get down to you. Then I'll lead us into the tunnel network.

JANSEN: Yes ma'am.

At the end of the balcony Padmé presses the rock face in several places and a hatch pops open revealing a ladder in a well-lit shaft.

PADMÉ: (to her group) Follow me.

The Princess quickly steps onto the ladder and begins climbing down. Obiwan and Jarjar share a surprised look and follow suit. Behind them Ric pokes his head into the shaft and looks up.

RIC: (whistling) Where does that lead to?

PADMÉ: (calling up to him as she opens the shaft's lowermost portal) To the fusion plant's cooling system.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – BRIDGE OF THE REPUBLICAN BATTLECRUISER _PALADIN_

Capatain Rejack anxiously watches over the radar operator's shoulder as a large contingent of blips moves away from the raider fleet pursuing them. The radar operator makes to tell the Captain but Rejack squeezes the woman's shoulder and nods to indicate that he's already seen the blips. In front of them, Jeddai Knight and leader of the Republic's reconnaissance force, Sidon Ithano calmly stares out at the gas giant they are orbiting, both pairs of his arms crossed in silent contemplation.

REJACK: (to the master of the watch) How long until the Expeditionary Force arrives.

MASTER OF THE WATCH: At least another three hours sir.

REJACK: (to Sidon) Looks like signaling home cost us our positional edge. The raiders have just dispatched every snub-nosed fighter and gunship that they have. I'm doubtful we'll be able to hold out until the relief force arrives.

Sidon says nothing at first. He just serenely looks at the bright specks that are the raiders' capital ships in the distance.

REJACK: General…?

SIDON: (turning to the Captain) If our destruction is assured, why don't we see if we can take some of them with us.

REJACK: (smiling wanly) Understood.

(to the helm officer) Helm, bring us about. New course and heading one-three-four mark two-two. Take is straight into the enemy fleet.

(to the flight deck controller) Scramble all our fighters. They're to give us as much cover as they can.

A somber mood settles over the bridge as the bridge officers carry out their duties to a chorus of "aye sirs."

CUT TO space outside where we see the massive battle cruiser ignite her mammoth thrusters and swing free from the ringed world's gravity. It arrows towards the Mandalorian cruisers and their escorts, disgorging dozens of small fighter craft as it picks up speed.

As though expecting the maneuver, the raiders' blocky cruisers turn towards their prey like a pack of rabid warthogs.

ANGLE ON the Rebulican fighters from the perspective of the Mandalorian fighters as the two groups close on each other. Space becomes full of sizzling blue, green, and red laser bolts as both fighter wings break and attack one another.

ZOOM OUT so that we see more of the wild dog fight between the Repbulican pilots and the Mandalorian pilots. It does not take long before the Mandalorians' greater numbers and hardened battle experience begins to take a toll on the Republican fighters but by then the _Paladin_ is already muscling its way through the furball, her anti-air guns beginning to their own toll on the raiders.

After only a few moments the _Paladin_ is past the worst of the dog fight which now flattens out from the almost spherical shape it had started with into a long drawn out contrail of snub-nosed fighters. It looks like balloon that has been pierced by a fast-moving projectile.

CUT TO the _Paladin's_ bridge.

REJACK: (shouting to be heard over the klaxons) Gunnery, target all turbolaser batteries on the nearest enemy cruiser.

FIRST OFFICER: Incoming fire from four targets ahead.

(into the ship's intercom) All hands brace for impact.

The _Paladin_ 's deck shudders as the massed firepower of the Mandalorian fleet concentrates on it.

GUNNERY OFFICER: All gun crews report target acquired sir.

REJACK: (briefly meeting Sidon's eyes) Fire on the target!

(to Sidon) If we get out of this you're going to owe me one.

SIDON: (smirking) If you can joke about it, you must think we have a chance.

The sound of their own turbolaser batteries relentlessly firing at the raiders' ships adds its own high-pitched thrum to klaxons and the distant explosions of the odd shot slipping through their deflector shields.

FIRST OFFICER: Sir!

Rejack looks over to his first officer.

FIRST OFFICER: The deflector shields generators are beginning to give out. We can't take much more of this pounding.

REJACK: (nodding) Helm, put some of their escorts between us and their capital ships.

(mumbling half to himself) Let's see how they like shooting through their allies.

CUT TO space where we see the _Paladin_ under heavy fire from the Mandalorian cruisers. The Republican battlecruiser steadily returns fire but is still outgunned by the combined output the Mandalorian fleet.

The big ship's engines ignite to their full power as it sprints forward to put some of the smaller Mandalorian ships between it and the bigger raider vessels.

The raiders seem unfazed by this development. They simply turn their fire onto their own escorts and in a few moments the smaller ships are blasted into burning bits of debris.

CUT BACK TO the _Paladin_ 's bridge where Captain Rejack shakes his head sadly at the sight of the destruction.

REJACK: Looks like their escorts are expendable.

SIDON: Maybe we can use that to our advantage. Are the ion cannons still fully charged?

Rejack looks at his Gunnery Officer who quickly checks his panel.

GUNNERY OFFICER: Ion control reports both batteries are fully charged and operational.

REJACK: (grimly smiling) Gunnery, target rearmost enemy cruiser and disable it.

GUNNERY OFFICER: Aye Captain.

REJACK: Helm, get us heading in that direction.

A deeper high-pitched noise resounds through the ship as several sizzling blue-white bolts streak through the debris could at the Mandalorian cruiser nearest to their position. One of the bolts hits a piece of burning debris from the destroyed escorts but the rest find their target and light it up with a web of crackling lightning that disrupts its lights and engines. The cruiser begins to spiral and spin uncontrollably as its crew loses all navigational control.

GUNNERY OFFICER: Direct hit sir!

Rejack opens his mouth to say something but the words are stolen as the _Paladin_ violently trembles, pitching the deck officers standing on the bridge to the floor. Only Sidon keeps his feet but even he has extended one pair of his four brown-robed arms to maintain his balance.

Rejack and the other deck officers scramble back to their feet.

REJACK: Damage report!

The _Paladin_ 's First Officer steps over to a damage control panel while Sidon steps closer to the bridge's huge windows.

FIRST OFFICER: (finger sliding down a column of electronic indicators) Ion control has been heavily damaged; the ion cannons are disabled. The number two deflector shield generator is down. Engine number three is burning and turbolaser batteries four through six have all been destroyed. The entire port side of the ship is blind and vulnerable.

REJACK: Helm, flip us on our axis and get us behind that disabled cruiser. Make your distance, boarding distance.

HELMSPERSON: Aye sir!

CUT TO space, outside the crippled _Paladin_. We can see that one of the ship's six engine assemblies is burning. The Mandalorians continue to pour turbolaser fire into it even as the Republican battlecruiser flips end-to-end and rolls to bring its relatively undamaged side to face the raiders.

The Mandalorian fleet begins to break up and envelop the pinned battlecruiser's position. But as they round the _Paladin_ 's meager cover, their guns begin to fall silent as they meticulously pick off the battlecruiser's remaining weapon batteries one-by-one.

CUT BACK TO the _Paladin_ 's bridge where Jeddai Knight and General Sidon Ithano is watching the raiders' progress.

FIRST OFFICER: (reporting as another explosion resounds through the ship) We've just lost another of the starboard batteries. Sir, I think they mean to board us.

SIDON: (turning to the battlecruiser's bridge officers) That is exactly their intention.

REJACK: (to his communications officer) Alert all hands to…

Sidon stops the captain with two upraised left hands.

SIDON: Wait. If we try to repel their boarding parties we won't be able to hold out very long. They outnumber us four-to-one.

REJACK: I see your point. What did you have in mind General?

SIDON: How much longer until the raider we disabled regains full-control of their ship?

REJACK: An hour. Maybe less.

A grin slowly spreads across Rejack's face as he works out what the Jeddai has in mind.

REJACK: That could work. Helm, drift us into the disabled cruiser.

(to his first officer) Get the marine platoons ready for a boarding action. We're transferring our command.

FIRST OFFICER: What should I do about the damage control parties?

REJACK: We'll have to pull them out last. This only works if we don't explode or burn up.

SIDON: I'll lead a small reserve force to cover the evacuation.

REJACK: Very well.

(to his First Officer) Tell Colonel Guldet that he's leading the boarding action. He needs to secure the ship as quickly as he can.

FIRST OFFICER: What if he fails to secure the enemy ship?

REJACK: Then the crew will have to fight alongside the marines. One way or another, we're getting off this hulk.

The First Officer nods his acknowledgement of the Captain's orders.

REJACK: And Lucen, get down to engineering and personally oversee the damage control parties. If that number three engine goes up that'll be a quick end to a couple of thousand promising careers.

FIRST OFFICER: Aye sir!

The First Officer heads towards the bridge's exit…WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – FOREST EDGE – NABOO

A thick forest sprawls out on the right side of the scene. It decorates a series of rolling hills that lead up to the city of Theed. The foliage curves sharply away from the urban area as it nears its outskirts and its end becomes as it slips behind the vegetation that's already visible. The remnants of a low-hanging mist still clings to the tree-line.

To the left, a small armored column of Mandalorian battle tanks and soldiers makes its way from its landing zone to the occupied city. The massive tracked vehicles seem impregnable and the armored raiders seem indomitable in their presence.

CUT TO Boss Nash and General Tarsal where they lay nearly invisible in the brush not far from where armored column is churning up the narrow roadway that leads from Theed's rural boroughs to the city proper.

NASH: Youssa ah dinkin weessa kinn coberin datta spacin?

Tarsal lifts a monocular to his face and peers through its computer assisted lens.

CUT TO the view from the monocular. We see it reporting the range from the two Gunguns to raiders and their tanks.

CUT BACK TO Tarsal and Nash as the former pulls the monocular back away from his snouted face.

TARSAL: Itza gonnah beah bombad orunnin butsah ifin weessa qwikkin den weessa shooddah gettin clossin enub forin da boomahs.

Nash's lips make a soft popping noise as he restrains himself from making his customary blustering. The Gungun leader stares at the raiders and thinks for several long moments before finally nodding with a sigh.

NASH: Weessa gonnah bein skwishid an crunchid butsah weessa gibbin weessa wordo.

TARSAL: Truin. Butsah weessa ah bombad armee. Weessa gonnah doin sommah crunchin and skwishin obah ownin.

Nash gives a dark throaty chuckle.

NASH: (looks at Tarsal) Youssa youngins alwayssa gottin sombin tah provin.

(looks back at the increasingly distant armored column) Okayin. Hittin em.

The Gungun general quickly scrambles back out of the tangle of shrubs Nash and him had used to observe their enemies' movements. With a sharp whistle the forest all around them suddenly comes alive with thousands of Gungun warriors.

CUT TO A WIDE ANGLE SHOT of the narrow roadway, the armored column on it, and the forest beyond it. As we watch hundreds of Gunguns mounted on ostrich-like bipedal warbeasts stream out of the forest and hit the rear third of the Mandalorian column as it crosses a depression between two hills. Several Mandalorians are skewered by the Gunguns' long lances. Several more fall victim to the explosive blue orbs that the Gunguns hurl into their midst from astride their warbeasts.

Farther down the road, several dozen trees make horrendously loud cracking noises as they are felled by enormous four-legged creatures towing carts filled with much larger blue balls and catapults. Thousands of lance-armed Gungun hunters swarm out around the carts. Some of them are already in the process of setting up the first of the catapults.

Alerted to the danger, the Mandalorian column descends into a chaotic scene as the armored raiders pour blaster fire into the Gungun cavalry that besets them on all sides. Meanwhile the Mandalorian tank commanders leading the rearguard tank notices the events unfolding behind the column and swings his tank's turret around to bear on the Gungun artillery and infantry.

By now the Gunguns are setting up two more catapults and an even more massive warbeast towing a huge cart with a gigantic drum-like device on it is emerging from the forest. The rear guard tank fires off a shot from its main cannon and the first catapult explodes just as its arm springs forward. The blue orb flung by the catapult goes wide and blasts a crater on a hillside dozens of yards from the colmn.

The Mandalorians begin to regroup. The lead tank begins to sprint up the next hill while many of the Mandalorian infantry ignite their rocket packs and blast their way out of the deadly melee instigated by the Gungun cavalry.

ZOOM IN on one of the cavaliers to see that it is General Tarsal.

TARSAL: (turning to several cavaliers following him) Duh danko issa aimin ferin weessin biggoh boomahs. Usin dah boomahs tah blindin heessin.

His command given, the General takes a blue orb from his saddle bag and recklessly charges at the Mandalorian tank. The half dozen Gungun riders just behind him fearlessly plunge toward the armored vehicle in his wake. The tank's turret is temporarily smothered by small but ultimately harmless explosions.

The vehicle comes about to bring its smaller anti-personnel weapons to bear on the Gungun riders as the race away as fast as their mounts will take them. Several are cut down by laser cannon and blaster fire.

Tarsal brings his mount around for what seems like another pass but rather than his javelin his has a long length of leather in his hand with some dark object attached to its end. All at once he jabs his mount's flanks with his heels and starts to whirl the leather thong over his head. A loud ear-piercing wail sounds over the battle as he races partway down the Mandalorian line.

As a single group the Gungun cavalry turns and bolts for relative safety of the tree line.

By now the column's lead elements are setting up a battle line on the next hill. They take a few of the cavaliers down as they retreat into the woods but shift their attention as two of the Gungun catapults strike home destroying the lead tank at the crest of the hill and a tank just beyond the rearguard tank.

Alerted to this new danger, the Mandalorians quickly reform their lines and begin to pour fire at the Gungun artillery. Their disciplined fire destroys first one and then a second catapult but the Gunguns are already setting up seven more.

ZOOM IN on the commander of the Gungun infantry, where we see that it is Boss Nash mounted on one of the squat four-legged duck-billed creatures of the same type that had towed the catapults out of the forest.

Sensing that the tide of battle is about to turn against them, the corpulent chieftan turns to the Gunguns mounted on a small howdah below the drum-like device on the truly enormous creature.

NASH: Startem uppah dah shieldoh!

The howdah-mounted Gunguns reach up and flip several switches on the machine.

ZOOM OUT as an iridescent energy field blossoms up out of a narrow joint between the strange contraption's paired drum-like faces. The energy field splits into three thick stems before twisting, flattening, and falling out into a smooth soap bubble-like dome.

Several laser cannon blasts streak into it from out of frame as the Mandalorian's continue firing at the Gungun formation. Beyond this dome we can see at least two other Gungun domes farther down the road towards the raiders' landing zone.

PAN TO the hill top where the Mandalorians have assembled their skirmish line of three tanks and dozens of armored soldiers. As we watch the raiders begin to entrench their position…

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. MANDALORIAN LANDING CRAFT

Mace Windu and his commando are waiting by the open hatch leading back into the landing gear bay. At their feet lies the body of the Mandalorian co-pilot. Looking down at the body one of the Jeddai shakes his head and turns to his Padawan.

DENWAN NIKKO: This is an important lesson for you my young Padawan. Using the Force to influence the minds of others only works on those whose will is weak or whose focus is clouded.

JUTTA REM: How do I tell who can be tricked and who cannot?

DENWAN: You must always stretch out with your feelings. Trust the Force to tell you whose mind can be influenced and whose cannot.

JUTTA: Yes my master.

KIT FISTO: We're about to land.

The surfaces of the small craft around them tremble and the roar of thrusters fills the small compartment they are hiding in. A moment later, a gentle popping noise resounds as the landing gear hatch pops open and the huge pistons and rods of the spacecraft's pillar like landing gear begin to unfold away from them.

MACE: Kit, stay behind and deal with the pilot when he comes looking for his companion. The rest of you, with me. We'll use the steam from the landing jets as cover.

The Jeddai Master silently waves them forward as the steam from the landing jets starts roiling into the compartment through the landing gear bay. The Jeddai and Padawans leap out into the white cloud one by one until only Mace and Kit are left. The Jeddai Master looks back at the younger Jeddai Knight.

KIT: (knowingly smiling) I'll catch up.

MACE: Be careful anyway.

KIT: (extending a hand) The Force is with us.

Mace chuckles, nods his, and clasps the young Knight's forearm.

MACE: We'll be heading to the bridge by the shortest route possible.

KIT: Meet you there if not before.

The Jeddai Master turns to go, the mist from the steam is thinning now. But he pauses one last time.

KIT: You're worried about what we sensed on the planet below.

Mace gives an imperceptible nod.

KIT: We must trust that Quigong and his Padawan will discover the nature of that disturbance.

(smiling again) But that shouldn't keep us from finishing up here as quickly as we can.

MACE: Have I become so transparent?

KIT: Only to those who can recognize the signs.

The Jeddai Master gives a final hurrumph and leaps through the open portal and into the last remnants of the steam clouds.

Behind him, Kit Fisto turns towards the compartment door and takes his lightsaber out of his brown robes. Standing calm and loose, the Jeddai Knight reposes himself as he waits for the small landing vessel's pilot to arrive looking for his late co-pilot.

CUT TO the hangar floor. In an amazing feat of stealth the small band of Jeddai Knights and Padawan have managed to move undetected to a rank of massive pallets waiting to be loaded into various shuttlecraft heading towards Naboo. Around them, the floor of the hangar is busy with with the efforts of a handful of blocky droids that lever the pallets up off the deck and tirelessly move them into the waiting transports.

Mace quickly joins the waiting commando, little more than a brownish shadow fluttering through the dispersing steam. He passes unseen by the small handful of armored figures moving about on the hangar's deck.

DENWAN: (in a low voice) Everyone is accounted for Master Windu.

MACE: (unclipping his lightsaber from his belt) Okay, everyone stay alert and remember your training. The most important thing is to keep moving. If we get pinned down there is no amount of skill with a lightsaber that will deflect every blaster bolt they'll fire at us.

Stealth, speed, and trust in your instincts are your allies. Depend on one another; we'll all get through this.

(with a last furtive look all around) Follow me.

Mace leads them directly towards a hatch leading out of the dreadnought's hangar bay.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT LOWER CORRIDORS OF THEED ROYAL PALACE – NABOO

Darth Plagueis and Darth Maul lock their shining red laser blades together in a noisy clash. While many of the palace's corridors look the same it feels as though we recognize the passage they are in, possibly because an open door near them leads into an armory.

MAUL: You can't possibly hope to find safe harbor or escape in the warren of tunnels below this place, can you?

PLAGUEIS: (obviously beginning to fatigue) You are a brutal opponent Maul. I can see why Sidious chose you. You'll never be anything more than someone else's creature.

The two leap back from one another. The armored figures who had been trailing the fighting Sith Lords scatter backwards as Maul comes near them. Sensing an opportunity several of them fire their blasters at Plagueis but Maul quickly parries them each of the shots injuring two of the Mandalorians and killing a third.

MAUL: (hissing at the Mandalorians) He's mine!

Plagueis uses the distraction to disappear around a bend in the corridor. Growling in frustration, the young Sith Lord charges after his quarry leaving the cowed raiders in his wake.

The squad leader raises his hand to signal that they should continue trailing the dueling Sith when he suddenly stops and puts his hand to the side of his helmet instead. Several of the troopers in the squad have also lifted their hands to the sides of their helmets as though they are all listening to something.

SQUAD LEADER: (gestering to the two wounded raiders) Get them to the infirmy. The rest of you with me.

RAIDER: (pointing at their dead comrade) What about Ghent?

SQUAD LEADER: You heard the General. Our landing zone is being attacked by a large force of natives. We're heading out to relieve our relief. Forget Ghent.

RAIDER: Yes sir!

CUT TO Plagueis and Maul where they are continuing their duel as they descend a broad stair leading to the palace's sub-floors. Enraged, Maul attacks the Muun again and again, each strike more savage than the last. Plagueis parries and leaps away in quick succession as Maul deftly keeps the pressure on his opponent up.

Finally the pair of black-garbed figures, their robes long since shed reach the last landing suspended half-way above the floor of a large hub like chamber. Plagueis looks to see a large group of people emerge from one of the tunnels. They seem to be led by a young girl and among them are a pair of brown-robed figures—Jeddai.

Distracted by these new interlopers that are masked from his opponent by the stairway's low sidewalls and railing, Plagueis only partially parries Maul's thrust and the young Sith's weapon plunges deep into the Muun's hip. Plagueis gasps in pain as Maul rips the weapon free of the Muun's joint. His leg no longer able to support him Plagueis starts to crumple but Maul delivers a swift Force-enhanced kick to the old Sith's chest that propels the Muun down the last flight of stairs and sends him sliding through a wide entryway leading into the city's fusion power plant. Plagueis' weapon deactivates as it slips from his stunned hands and skitters over the pit-like edge of the reactor's central cooling vent.

ANGLE ON Plagueis' lightsaber as it falls. Below the circular vent the reactor fills the center of a brightly lit empty space crisscrossed with catwalks leading to and from various cooling towers, sub-reactors, and reactant feeds. The silvery weapon bounces off of several of them before coming to a stop on a catwalk several dozens of feet below where Plagueis lies at the edge of the cooling vent.

CUT TO Maul as he, still unseen by the new arrivals, deactivates his weapon and begins to descend the last flight of steps towards the badly wounded Muun. Seeing the young Sith Lord coming for him, Plagueis rolls himself into the vent and drops from sight.

CUT TO Princess Amidala and her group. The three dozen stand in mute shock as the red-and-black-skinned black-garbed Dathomirian, barely older than Obiwan, arrives at the bottom of the stair and notices them. For a moment the group just looks at Darth Maul and he gazes back. Then with a feral curl of his lip, the young Sith Lord grasps the center of his massive lightsaber and raises it before him, igniting first one and then the other of its two blades.

QUIGONG: (to Padmé) Leave this to us your Majesty.

PADMÉ: (to the rest of her party) We'll find another path up.

As the assembly of brown-garbed Royal Guards and orange-garbed pilots eases towards one of the hub's other tunnel entrances, Padmé gestures towards one equally distant from the group and the Sith Lord with his humming red laser blades.

PADMÉ: (to Ric) That one leads to the spaceport. Get to your ships and aid our Gungun allies.

Without another word the Princess leads her band of more than two dozen Royal Guards down one of the tunnels and disappears from sight. Meanwhile Ric gives a meaningful look to the handful of pilots and astromech droids with him and waves them towards the tunnel entrance with his ceiling-pointed blaster.

RIC: Come on, let's move out.

QUIGONG: (shrugging out of his brown robes) Obiwan, Jarjar.

Next to him, Obiwan also shrugs his brown robes off and grasps his lightsaber. In unison master and apprentice ignite their two blades and begin to drift apart. To Quigong's right Jarjar has already shifted to the wall opposite from Ric and the pilots and is experimentally hefting on of his javelins over his shoulder as though he might hurl the deadly dart at the Sith Lord at any moment. With a sudden snap of his forearm, the Gungun hunter sends the missile at the Sith Lord. Quigong and Obiwan simultaneously leap towards the Dathomirian. Maul easily parries the javelin, his dual bladed weapon instantly chopping the dart into dozens of pieces all while still managing to bring his weapon up to parry blows from both Jeddai Knight and Padawan.

Jarjar has already drawn another javelin from his quiver and cautiously approaches the trio of Force users where they stand for a moment simply pushing at each other's lightsabers. But Quigong and Obiwan's combined strength is not enough to push the powerful young Sith's weapon back and so the battle quickly changes from a statuesque pressure contest to a dynamic dance of whirling light and sizzling hums.

Quick to take advantage of the situation, Jarjar rushes in from the side to distract the Dathomirian with his lance and between the three of them, they begin to force Maul back into the fusion reactor chamber. Behind them, Ric and his pilots slip into the tunnel leading to the spaceport and disappear from view.

Maul gives way, steadily retreating towards the vent where Plagueis has disappeared. All four combatants slowly feel each other out. It is obvious that Maul matches the combined strength of Obiwan, Quigong, and Jarjar and neither side lands a blow as the attack and parry in an intricate weave of motions.

Finally, Maul reaches the vent and in a sudden flurry beats back both blue lightsabers by twirling his double-bladed back and forth before finally swinging it upright, cutting the head off of Jarjar's lance in the process. The Sith Lord raises the weapon high before plunging its lower blade deep into the floor. The two Jeddai and their Gungun companion step back as the young Sith rips the weapon up out of the floor, showering them with molten bits of metal in the process. As they shield themselves from the burning hot shrapnel, Maul steps back and vanishes into the vent.

Quigong and Obiwan regain their composure in the wake of the Sith's disappearance and deactivate their lightsabers. Next to them Jarjar hurls his ruined javelin away and draws another one from the quartet remaining in his quiver.

OBIWAN: (looking at Quigong) What was that?

QUIGONG: (shaking his head) I don't know. He was well trained in the Jeddai arts though.

Quigong carefully moves up to the vent's edge and looks down.

QUIGONG: (pointing at an access ladder set into one wall) Jarjar, meet us down in the lower level. It looks like a service chamber with interlinking catwalks.

The Gungun hunter grips his new lance in one hand, moves to the ladder, and quickly starts down.

QUIGONG: (to Obiwan) Whatever happens, we can't let him get away from us. I sense that whoever he is, he represents a grave danger to her Royal Highness.

OBIWAN: (nodding in acknowledgement) I'm ready.

Quigong answers with a nod, grips his lightsaber more tightly, and steps through the vent. Obiwan follows his master moments later.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – TUNNEL DEPTHS BELOW THEED ROYAL PALACE – NABOO

Ric Olié leads a ragtag band of seven pilots and two astromech droids down the tunnel's length.

SHAM PANEER: What do you think that was back there Captain?

Ric glances back over his shoulder at the young pilot before turning his attention back to the dimly lit length of steel stretching out before them.

RIC: I don't know. I've never heard of a Jeddai like that.

SHAM: Do you think General Jin will be alright?

Ric holds up his hand and pauses the group as the come to a junction between tunnels.

The squadron leader cautiously peers around each of corners, making sure that the side tunnels are free of raiders.

RIC: (to Sham) How old are you Sham?

SHAM: I've just seen my twenty-second cycle.

RIC: (snapping his head to look at the baby-faced pilot) How long have you been in the Space Force?

SHAM: It's my third week.

Around them we can see all of the other pilots painfully wince. Ric stops and starts hysterically laughing. After a moment some of the other more seasoned pilots join in the laughter as Sham uncomfortably looks around. R2-D2 rolls over up to Ric and bumps into his leg, emitting a stream of angry-sounding beeps and rude noises.

RIC: (curtailing his laughter) Alright, alright, admittedly you have nearly as many hours of combat flying as the rest of us kid. I want you to stick close to me and follow my lead.

R2 emits another string of worried beeps.

RIC: (hefting his blaster) Seems like I might have attracted a patrol. Lambert take Ellis and cover our right. Daneesh, you and Gambol the left.

(pointing at the left corner of the intersection) Take cover behind that corner kid.

The pilots disperse to their assigned positions. R2-D2 rolls up to the left corner in front of Sham and positions himself to provide additional protection for the young recruit.

VOICE: (from down the corridor) Who goes there?

The voice doesn't sound modulated, like a voice through a helmet's speaker would. Ric looks confused; whoever spoke has left their face unprotected.

RIC: (glancing at R2 for reassurance) Her Majesty, the Queen's reserve pilots.

The voice is joined by others but their mutterings are indecipherable by the pilots.

VOICE: (finally ending his muttered with others) Olié, is that you?

Ric's brow furrows at the sound of his name and he looks again at R2-D2 as though looking at the small droid would dispel his consternation. But perhaps the small droid's appearance has jogged something in the squadron leader's memory afterall.

RIC: Liú?

The corridor resounds with more laughter.

LIÚ: Yeah. Don't shoot us, we're coming down to you.

In moments the shapes of a full-strength squad of Royal Guards appears from the corridor's murky depths. They are led by a stocky Asian who holds his blaster carbine nonchalantly propped up on his shoulder.

The two groups visibly relax as the see each other and the both abandon their disciplined stances to embrace.

LIÚ: (clapping Ric on the back) Ric! It's good to see you. We thought that the entire air wing had been wiped out.

RIC: (grimly smiling) It was a bit touch and go there for a while but a few of us survived.

LIÚ: Dineé?

Ric simply shakes his head in response.

LIÚ: (gripping Ric's shoulder) I'm sorry. I know how much she meant to you.

Ric nods his head but it's obvious that a storm of emotions has strangled his voice.

LIÚ: (changing the subject) Where are you all headed?

RIC: (regaining control of his emotions) The spaceport. Her Majesty has assigned us to provide air cover for the Gungun Army.

LIÚ: Gungun army?

RIC: They've engaged the raiders just outside the city but if we don't neutralize the raiders' air support, they'll be cut to ribbons.

LIÚ: (looking thoughtful) That explains why the raiders pulled their patrols from down here.

RIC: (blowing a puff of air out in relief) You mean the bad guys have all bailed from down here.

LIÚ: (smiling) We think so. At least neither one of us have run into any patrols in the last hour. And you folks weren't exactly stealthy.

RIC: (nodding) We need to get to the spaceport and, we need to have gotten there yesterday.

Liú puts his fingers to his lips and whistles loudly. The almost two dozen soldiers and pilots look at both him and Ric.

LIÚ: Listen up people, Ric has filled me in on why these tunnels are suddenly empty of raiders. The Gunguns have massed an army and are engaging the invaders outside of the city. Unfortunately they have no air support.

We know from experience; no air support means being cut to ribbons by those raider fighters. So we're going to get Ric and his squadron to the spaceport and, we're going to double-time it.

Take fifteen seconds to pack up, then we move out.

Liú looks over to the squadron leader and nods his head reassuringly.

RIC: (holstering his blaster) Thanks Liú. I'm going to owe you one.

LIÚ: (chuckling) Not yet but, you will. Last we heard, more than half of the raider force had set up camp at the spaceport to make sure nothing else got off-world.

I've got to think that they didn't pull much of that force, no matter how many Gunguns there are out there.

Ric frowns at finding out about the mass of armored soldiers and tanks waiting for them.

LIÚ: (turning his attention to his squad) Alright people, move out.

The Royal Guards turn almost as one and break out into a light jog.

LIÚ: (to Ric) Try to keep up.

RIC: (to his pilots and droids) You heard the sergeant, let's move out.

The orange-garbed pilots break into a trot behind the leading element of Royal Guards. A smaller group of Naboo soldiers warily move behind them, covering the group's rear and flanks.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – BRIGHTLY-LIT FUSION REACTOR ROOM – THEED – NABOO

Darth Plagueis limps across one of the catwalks. He holds his lightsaber in one hand, its bright scarlet blade defiantly humming, as his other grips his injured pelvis. He is steadily making his way over to an open hatch like an arthritis-crippled elder. His every movement is painfully slow and almost tortoise-like.

MAUL: (from not far behind him) The Force may allow you to walk but it won't save you from me.

The gravely injured Muun Sith Lord turns to defend himself from the younger Sith Lord's onslaught.

The Dathomirian does not disappoint him, launching a vicious series of whirling attacks with a sneer plastered across his face. Plagueis parries several of the blows single-handed but, he finally takes his hand away from his injured pelvis to stop Maul's barrage of attacks. Unable to bear his weight, Plagueis' left leg folds beneath him and Maul pushes him to the ground.

MAUL: (all but whispering) Know that it is Darth Maul, Lord of the Sith who has killed you this day.

PLAGUEIS: (laughing) You may be very strong with the Force, Maul but, your singular focus and lack of imagination will be your undoing.

Maul frowns as he realizes the Quigong, Obiwan, and Jarjar have caught up to them.

Capitalizing on the younger Sith Lord's distraction, Plagueis shoves Maul's blades away and tries to cut the Dathomirian's legs from beneath him. But Maul acrobatically leaps up out of the way and comes back down with a vicious downstroke that, missing the Muun's neck by fractions of an inch, separates Plagueis' right arm from his body. The arm, still gripping Plagueis' now-deactivated lightsaber falls away into the fusion reactor room's depths.

The older Sith Lord cries out in pain but, Maul's death blow is deflected by Quigong and Obiwan's scintillating blue laser-blades.

QUIGONG: Who are you?!

Maul answers with an angry hiss and chops at the Jeddai Knight and his Padawan.

Seizing the opportunity, Plagueis rolls off the catwalk and plunges down to a lower one, using the Force to soften his landing. Maul is too busy fighting Quigong, Obiwan, and Jarjar to see the injured Sith Lord struggle back up to his feet and, left hand gripping the deep slicing wound through his pelvis, make his way towards an exit into the access corridors around the reactor's sub-systems.

Meanwhile the four battle back and forth on the catwalk Plagueis has fallen from. The battle is fluid with all of the combatants moving acrobatically back and forth, looking for openings, making feints, and parrying attacks. It is evident that Jarjar, even lacking any known ability with the Force, is contributing more to Quigong and Obiwan's efforts than he is impairing it.

Finally, Maul manages to use the Force to push the three of them away long enough to leap to a lower catwalk. His weapon held behind him, parallel to the ground, the Dathomirian beckons to the trio. Jarjar obliges Maul with a hurled javelin which the Sith Lord effortlessly chops to pieces. But by the time he has done this both Quigong and Obiwan have used the distraction to leap down onto Maul's catwalk.

Temporarily abandoned, Jarjar searches around for a way down to join his compatriots. Spying a ladder leading down the chamber's inner wall, the Gungun hunter races over to it.

Below him, Quigong and Obiwan have engaged Maul in battle again. Without Jarjar to impede them, the fight becomes much more fluid with each of fighter dancing across the edge of the catwalk, miraculously not falling, and assuming a new stance or position.

It is obvious though that the pair are not an equal match to Maul and so they settle for slowly wearing the Dathomirian down. The fight becomes an endurance test.

Jarjar finally reaches their catwalk and, drawing a fresh lance from his quiver, races to rejoin the fray. Maul is ready this time and in sudden show of strength, he throws back both blue lightsabers and Force pushes Jarjar's feet out from under him.

The Gungun trips and slides down the catwalk, his lance skipping along its surface ahead of him. The sharp missile nearly pierces Obiwan's ankle but the Padawan deftly hops over it. Maul takes advantage of Obiwan's distracted state and with a backhand motion, uses the Force to send the Padawan hurdling up into a catwalk above them.

Obiwan hits the bottom of the catwalk with an audible smack.

QUIGONG: Obiwan!

Stunned, the Padawan falls. Seeking to use Quigong's distracted state, Maul rushes the Jeddai Knight with a whirling overhead attack. But Quigong parries and ripostes the double-bladed weapon away. Almost too late, Maul jerks his body back from the Jeddai's deadly blue blade. The tip of the weapon draws a line across the young Sith Lord's waist.

The Dathomirian winces in pain and leaps away from the Jeddai Knight. For his part, Quigong pauses to check on Obiwan's state rather than press his advantage. Maul takes the given moment to pat out the smoldering fabric across his belly and then turns to sprint down the corridor exiting from the reactor room. Behind Quigong, Jarjar scrambles back to his feet and draws his second-to-last javelin from his quiver.

ANGLE ON Obiwan as he dangles by his fingers from the edge of a lower catwalk.

QUIGONG: (calling down to his apprentice) Obiwan!

OBIWAN: (looking up over his shoulder) I'm all right. Go after him. I'll catch up.

Quigong nods and with Jarjar in tow, races after Darth Maul.

After they leave, Obiwan pauses to rest for a moment. He closes his eyes, concentrates, and then, opening them, flips himself back and up onto catwalk. It takes the Padawan several more precious seconds to search for where his dropped lightsaber has fallen. Using the Force he telekinetically flies it back to his hand. Then, weapon back in hand, he Force leaps up to the catwalk he has fallen from.

The Padawan is about to race after his master and friend when he notices something below him.

ANGLE ON Darth Plagueis' arm and lightsaber as seen from Obiwan's perspective. Obiwan uses the Force to retrieve the old Sith's fallen weapon.

ANGLE ON Obiwan as he grasps the weapon. He spends several more precious seconds turning it over in his hand and examining it before finally clipping it to the back of his belt. Then, his own weapon in hand he races down the catwalk to catch up to Quigong and Jarjar.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. PRIVATE QUARTERS – REPUBLICAN BATTLESHIP _OLD GLORY_

Count Du Ku sits crossed legged in the middle of his bed meditating. His breathing is deep, soft, and regular until it ceases all at once. The retired Jeddai Knight's eyes snap open and his face suddenly turns despondent.

KU: (whispering) Quigong. No.

Rising to his feet, the nobleman crosses the small room's space to a comm-link fixed into a wall.

KU: (activating the panel with the press of a button) Bridge.

VOICE: (over the intercom) Bridge.

KU: General Mundi?

VOICE: (over the intercom) One moment.

There is a soft murmuring in the background and then the voice of Ki-Adi-Mundi sounds out over the intercom.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: Count Ku? What can I do for you?

KU: How far are we from the Naboo system?

KI-ADI-MUNDI: Still another two hours I'm afraid.

KU: We must make haste. I sense that General Jin is in grave danger.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: I haven't sensed anything but he was your Padawan. I'll see if we can cut any time off but our navigators have already charted one of the shortest possible routes through hyperspace.

KU: Please do whatever you can.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: I'll see to it.

The comm-link goes quiet, leaving Count Ku alone with a troubled look on his face.

ROLL CREDITS


End file.
